Studio Lighting kits in the UK

[Yella Fella]

I'm just having a browse at warehouse express online and noticed 3 main kits...

Bowens
Interfit
Elinchrom

Which is known as flagship range and which is known as Pro stuff? I'm going to start saving up for something next year but would like to know whats peoples experiences are with these products. Wheres cheap to get etc? UK based only...

If I can, I always save that little bit more to get pro stuff rather than pure amatuer, just to get away from reselling/rebuying routine, plus save more money in the long term.

Feel free to put up links here, thanks.

[markbluemica]

Hi mate im just about to buy the bowens gemini 500watt kit ive looked and researched them all, i was going to buy the elinchrom d lite kit because for its price i think there is nothing better in it class, but they are only 200 watt lights which are not big enough for me. Warehouse express is about a cheaper place than any at the mo.

[Ineedhelp]

I've got Gemini's and I love them. Only thing I'm finding is the accessories are fairly dear too. But then, as I'm finding, nothing about this photography lark is cheap!

[akiwi]

I have the Elinchrom D-Lite 4 kit which has 400 ws lights.

Am very happy with them.
More plastic than the Geminis and the TravelPack yoiu can get for the Bowens lights is a big plus.

[peacock]

Ive been looking for lights recently and thought the Elincrom D-lites were good vaue however i dont think you can get the 400s here ony the 200s @ circa £400.

[Yella Fella]

whats with the 200 wattage, is that quite dim or something? I take it the 400watt ones are more pure white so to speak? a lot better for studio?

i never been in a studio let along worked in one, i take it the big soft boxes, lights etc are the main ones as you turn off ambient room lighting?

might have to look in to this, not even sure whats more important to start off with... soft box, normal light or umbrella things?

[TeeJay]

I've gone with the Bowens, superb service, any problems/questions just ring them direct. I went this route 'cos a) their British, and b) the Travel Pak is great if you don't have a mains power source handy.

[Edit] Warehouse Express will match any price for Bowens - although I'm not sure you'll find them cheaper. Also, if you think of going for the Travel Pak, its more cost effective to buy it with the heads in the kit, as buying it separately you only get a single cable (even though the Travel Pak will power TWO lights), then you have to buy another cable at a cost of about £54!

[peacock]

I've gone with the Bowens, superb service, any problems/questions just ring them direct. I went this route 'cos a) their British, and b) the Travel Pak is great if you don't have a mains power source handy.

[Edit] Warehouse Express will match any price for Bowens - although I'm not sure you'll find them cheaper. Also, if you think of going for the Travel Pak, its more cost effective to buy it with the heads in the kit, as buying it separately you only get a single cable (even though the Travel Pak will power TWO lights), then you have to buy another cable at a cost of about £54!

Thats what I've just bought too , 500/500 with travel pak arrived today at about 5.30 , all I can say is total quality :) only took me about 20mins to get them running off the 550ex for the first time and 15 mins of that was on the softbox:lol:

[TeeJay]

whats with the 200 wattage, is that quite dim or something? I take it the 400watt ones are more pure white so to speak? a lot better for studio??

Quite simply the more powerful the wattage, the better distance/spread you can get. If you only ever want to photograph products for feebay etc, then 200 watt heads will be fine. On the other hand, if you normally photograph 40ft articulated lorries, you'll need several high wattage heads (there are ways to illuminate a large object with fewer heads but thats another story:confused: )

i never been in a studio let along worked in one, i take it the big soft boxes, lights etc are the main ones as you turn off ambient room lighting??

One advantage of using heads like Bowens is that they have variable power modelling lights, which can be set to illuminate the subject with the same "amount" of light that the flash will give out when fired. This gives you an idea of how it will look when you trigger the shutter. It also means that you can turn off ambient light whilst you work

might have to look in to this, not even sure whats more important to start off with... soft box, normal light or umbrella things?

Most "kits" will come with either brollies or soft-boxes to use with the heads. The 500w/s Bowens are supplied with one 32" brolly (you will probably want to purchase a larger one, and one softbox.
My ONLY "complaint" with the softbox is it's almost impossible to dismantle once its erected. I tend to use it in the studio only, and carry brollies if I'm going out on site.

[TeeJay]

only took me about 20mins to get them running off the 550ex for the first time :lol:

I use a low-cost radio trigger (purchased from the really nice people at www.studioflash.co.uk (http://www.studioflash.co.uk)) Its much cheaper than using one of the branded ones and works just as well. Saves having PC wires trailing all over.

I tend to connect my camera to a laptop whilst doing portrait work in the studio. That way you can probvide real-time-image-approval so the clients can immediately see what you've taken (not always a good idea)

[TeeJay]

500/500 with travel pak arrived today at about 5.30 , :lol:

I found the battery status coloured led's a little confusing, as they all go out when you take a pic - then re-light in sequence.

If you are not too worried about how quickly the heads re-charge (when using the Travel Pak), set the rocker-switch on the battery to "slow". Although this then takes a few seconds longer between shots, it prolongs the overall life of the battery.

If you find that you are not using the battery too much, say every couple of months, recharge it every four weeks to ensure it remains topped up. It won't have any detrimental effect on the battery as it's lead-acid. (much like a car battery except the acid is in gel form)

[TeeJay]

I've got Gemini's and I love them. Only thing I'm finding is the accessories are fairly dear too. But then, as I'm finding, nothing about this photography lark is cheap!

Take a look at www.studioflash.co.uk (http://www.studioflash.co.uk) (for radio triggers and snoots/brollies) and www.photodeals.co.uk (http://www.photodeals.co.uk) (for backdrops and studio heads/accesories - they all should fit the Bowens heads).

They both offer superb kit, at excellent prices, and their service is first class. I have purchased from both and can highly recommend them.

TJ

[peacock]

I use a low-cost radio trigger (purchased from the really nice people at www.studioflash.co.uk (http://www.studioflash.co.uk)) Its much cheaper than using one of the branded ones and works just as well. Saves having PC wires trailing all over.

(not always a good idea)

TeeJay , it actually worked perfectly first go fired from the 550 ex speedlite , the time issue was the 15 mins it took me to figure out the softbox , i found it a tad confusing but that aside all went well.
I've seen the radio triggers from there , they look good value compared to the o/s and oter mainstreem ones so its good to hear from satisfied users , did you get 2 receivers or re you using one as a slave ?

[TeeJay]

I purchased one trigger and two receivers. I did consider simply triggering the second head by it's photo-cell when the first head fired, but then thought that if I was using my kit with another camera popping it's flash somewhere nearby (maybe photographing people arriving at a dinner, for instance - with another photog nearby) I would get my second head firing all over the place. At least with a receiver on each, I know that I am the only one setting them off (Each unit has two channels - so unless you are using them in a very large studio it's unlikely to be a problem)

TJ

[peacock]

Not worth risking having issues if you are shooting for clients I guess , cheers TJ